Tailslide: A Vehicon's Story (Story 1)
by Steve the Vehicon
Summary: Almost one year after the restoration of Cybertron, the Autobot-Decepticon war continues. A heavily injured Vehicon named T-7 is captured by Team Prime in a small battle, and they attempt to teach him what Autobots and humans are really like. He undergoes many changes, both positive, and horrific, as he struggles to learn what kindness, friendship, love and sacrifice truly mean.
1. Chapter 1: A New Scheme

Chapter 1: A New Scheme

**"****Oh my aching servos, I can't wait to get back on the ship"** I muttered to my fellow vehicon, H-43. **"Stop complaining, T-7. Starscream's ordered us down here for an important reason, remember?"** He scoffed at me. H-43 and I looked around the partially forested cliffside that we had been sent to scout under the darkness of night, to make sure no Autobots had gotten there first, courtesy of our leader, Starscream, and his orders. The moon shown brightly on us, illuminating our purple paint jobs. **"We've been down here for almost fifty cycles"** I heard H-43 pipe up. **"Time to report in."**

**"****The coast is clear, Soundwave"** I spoke into my mic. **"Send in the reinforcements."**

As soon as I finished speaking, a groundbridge portal, the same that was used to send me and H-43 to this area, opened up behind us and eight more Vehicons exited through it, followed by our leader, Starscream himself. **"So, what do you two have to report?"** he asked in an impatient tone as the portal closed behind him. **"Lord Starscream, we found the mineshaft that we were told about in the briefing"** H-43 responded. **"H-43 and I have confirmed that there are no signs of Autobot activity around the area, and we're waiting for further orders"** I continued. Starscream walked past us with his hands behind his back, and looked to the sky, as if in deep thought.

**"****The sudden reappearance of autobots on earth has forced us to speed up our plans by a significant margin"** he said, breaking the silence. **"I have brought you all here to guard this area as I go talk to Shockwave"**

**"****But... Sir"** H-43 suddenly spoke up.** "Where is Shockwave? You told us only to secure this mine shaft. Is he down it, or something?"**

**"****Yes"** Starscream replied in a slightly annoyed tone. **"His new lab here was a secret, and I didn't want any of you to know about it until now, just in case one of you had the urge to betray me and join the Autobots... Like Knock Out did"**

All the vehicons and I looked at each other and nodded in an understanding way. **"Come, this way"** Starscream spoke as he pointed toward the mineshaft. **"So, Lord Starscream, what has Shockwave been working on?"** I asked as we walked toward our destination. He remained silent for a few seconds until he looked up at me and eerily whispered **"You'll soon find out"**

_I really miss the ship_ I thought as soon as I heard Starscream say that.

As we approached the mineshaft, our leader suddenly jolted forward and scanned the side of the mineshaft. He soon found what he was looking for, and stuck his hand in a small, easy-to-miss hole in the wall, and appeared to be feeling for something. He must have found what he was looking for, because he made a pulling gesture, and we heard a loud rock-on-rock grinding noise coming from the Mine's entrance.

Before we knew it, we saw a large, blue, cybertronian-style elevator pop up in the entrance of the mine, pushing rock and wood aside as it was raised. **"Oh, that's a clever hiding spot"** I heard a nearby soldier whisper.

**"****You two, accompany me down"** Starscream ordered as he pointed at me and H-43. **"The rest of you... Stay guard here, and by the landing site!"** We both quickly went into the elevator, followed by our leader. He typed something into the controller on the wall, and we were soon on our way down.

After a few seconds of waiting in the dark, we soon landed on the right floor, and were illuminated by its blue light. I could see the dark outline of Shockwave a few meters away from where we exited, and he was apparently busy looking over his table, probably reviewing data. Looking around, I could see that this lab had a whole hall filled with large tanks, each one filled green chemicals with what appeared to be creatures inside of them. Predacons.

**"****I've been expecting you, Starscream"** Shockwave abruptly spoke as Starscream walked up to him. **"As you can see, my experimentation with these predacons has provided quite fruitful results."** **"Good work, Shockwave"** Starscream piped up, a large grin on his face.

**"****Once these predacons have grown out of their tanks, I'll have secured Predaking's loyalty, AND amassed a most powerful army! Megatron was a foolish to have the Autobots destroy the first batch, but now that that paranoid fool is gone, I seem to be making all the good calls around here!"** He said with much pride in his voice.

**"****So that's why Predaking didn't scrap Starscream those few months back"** I whispered to H-43. **"He must have made this deal with him to get Shockwave to clone more predacons for him. No wonder it took Shockwave so long."**

H-43 whispered back "**Do you think it's the right choice to have these things, T-7? Megatron did say that they could possibly overthrow the Decepticons, after all..."**

I was about to answer back, when suddenly Starscream's mic came on, and a Vehicon on the other end yelled in it in a panicked tone **"My lord! W-we've spotted appears to be an Autobot, I repeat, an Autobot!" **

**"****What?!"** Starscream shrieked, a look of surprise and confusion appeared on his face, replacing his previous composure with a look of terror. **"What do you mean soldier? Speak!"** He screeched. **"We're being intercepted! Backup required! Backup re-"** The soldier's voice was cut off by a loud clashing of metal, followed by a muffled scream, and then static.

I was utterly stunned by what I heard, and I could see H-43 already shivering in fear. **"H-how could they have found us? This location was secure!"** Starscream sputtered as he looked at Shockwave for guidance.

**"****It is doubtful, but possible that they may have been keeping watch on this particular area. The last time you came down here was two weeks ago, and it is quite logical that they may have detected the groundbridge at that time, and have been monitoring the area since then."**

**"****My lord, what do you suggest we do?"** I asked in much calmer, yet shaky voice. **"Yes... I presume that the Autobots have only discovered ****_our_**** location, not Shockwave's"** he said in a much more levelheaded voice as he paced around. **"They will most likely not be able to discover the lab itself, or the extensions needed to access it"** Shockwave added. **"If you leave now, you will likely be able to keep me and the lab a secret. The Predacons will be ready in one more month. Report back to me then"** he finished in his monotone voice, as if oblivious to the situation.

**"****I guess you're right"** Starscream muttered. **"I'll be back in one month, but only one. If you are discovered, blow up the lab with whoever's inside it."** He said. **"Both of you, follow me now!"** He ordered to the two of us as he headed toward the elevator. He didn't have to tell us twice.

After we got in the elevator, the doors closed, and we could feel ourselves getting lifted up to the surface again. While we were heading up, I could hear Starscream bark orders to the Vehicons on his mic, telling the ones guarding the mine to leave it, and enter a different location where they wouldn't stumble upon the lab. When we reached our destination, the door opened and we exited in haste, just as the elevator descended again, erasing all evidence of it being something out of the ordinary. **"Hurry, we must get to the location where the others are waiting and bridge out of here!"** Starscream ordered as he transformed into his plane mode.

H-43 and I transformed into our plane modes as well, and we quickly moved out, flying low over the trees to avoid detection. **"How do you think this happened, T-7?"** H-43 asked me nervously. **"I don't know"** I answered back. **"But I think Shockwave may have been right."**


	2. Chapter 2: Massacre

Chapter 2: Massacre

We soon arrived a few moments later at a clearing where the other vehicons waited for us, and by the looks of it, only five Vehicons, aside from H-43 and myself, remained. I could hear Starscream curse under his breath as we landed and shifted back into our robot forms. **"Is this all there is left of you?"** Starscream cried out. **"Yes, sir. The Autobot that attacked us was by himself, but he picked most of us off before we could intercept your message and band together." **The drone said.

**"****Do you know what he looked like?"** Starscream asked in a rushed tone. **"No, sir, but we- WHAT THE!?"** He stopped mid-sentence and yelled in terror just as a large object flew past our Lord and into the hapless Vehicon him like a javelin, deactivating him instantly. I jumped back in surprise and noticed the object was a pine tree. **"He's here!"** I heard H-43 shriek as we all readied our weapons and pointed them in the direction where the tree came from. A very big shape emerged from the forest, and we saw who was to cause for all this.

**"****Bulkhead?! What in Primus's name are you doing here?!"** Starscream yelled at the large green Autobot in a rage-fueled voice. **"Looking for Cons"** he replied in a casual tone as his two hands transformed into their wrecking ball-like combat mode. **"You seen any?"** He chuckled.

No sooner after he finished his sentence, a greenish light from a groundbridge appeared behind him, and two more bots stepped out from it. The first one I quickly recognized as Arcee, judging from her feminine appearance, combined with her blue paint job. That, and I've seen her in a previous battle before. The other was silver in color and wielding two swords, matching the description of the Wrecker, Wheeljack. **"I'll take the three on the left, you take the five on right!"** Wheeljack shouted in sporting manor as he charged at me, Curb, and Starscream. **"Starscream's mine!" **He roared as he bounded toward us.

**"****Here we go!"** Bulkhead shouted as he charged.

Arcee merely rolled he eyes, morphed her hands into blasters, and took aim.

I took a nervous gulp and readied my blaster-hands as well.

**"****Decepticons, attack!"** Starscream roared as he aimed and fired his missles. I fired my blasters at the rampaging Wheeljack while Bulkhead rammed himself into the first three Vehicons he saw. Wheeljack spun his swords and deflected me and my fellow Vehicon's shots as he got dangerously close to me. I saw him make a slashing move with his weapons, but I was too slow to dodge, and I suddenly felt an excruciating pain in my left arm.

I grunted and looked down, but all I saw was a stump, energon shooting out of where my limb should have been. I didn't even have time to scream as I felt another pain, this time in my right leg, then Wheeljack kicked me in the chest, sending me flying into a nearby tree. I slid to the ground, clutched my arm with my now un-morphed servo, and looked down at my now severed right leg.

Energon was leaking everywhere, and I started to feel numb. I looked up helplessly only to see the rest of the men getting slaughtered. I roared in berserk rage and got up, oblivious to all the pain I just felt, and reactivated my right hand back into pistol mode. Too late did I remember that my leg had been severed and I almost fell down again, but struggled to balance, and rested my body on the side of the tree I fell into, shooting blindly at the larger shapes. This didn't last for long, because I felt more pain hit my chest. I looked and saw two fresh holes in my abdomen leaking energon, and for the final time in the fight, I slumped to the ground.

As I struggled to stay online, I could hear the voice of Starscream yelling for a groundbridge, and I remember seeing my allies escape through the rapidly opening portal, and from what I could see, H-43 was with them. **"D-don't leave m-me..."** I managed to choke out. They couldn't hear me.

Then the portal closed.

I was dying. I knew I was. A large blue puddle started to form around me, and I could do nothing to stop it from getting bigger. I looked around helplessly for something I could use to stop the leaking, but the land around me was barren. Even if I could find something, I could barely move any of my limbs. My vision was greatly blurred, and I looked up to the star-ridden sky, hopelessly. **"Over here!"** I heard a voice call out, cutting through the silence. I could barely make out what it sounded like, but from what I heard, it sounded feminine. It was Arcee. The Autobots had found my mangled body. I looked up and I saw three large, dark outlines standing above me. **"Should we deactivate him?"** I heard Wheeljack's voice ask. **"No, that wouldn't be right"** I heard Arcee say. **"Should we bring him back to the base?"** Bulkhead's voice boomed up. **"Even if he's a Con, we can't just leave him here like this to suffer."**

I raised my good arm up and tried to grab one of them, but all I could do was reach and flail it pathetically at them. **"Autobot... Filth..."** I managed to spit out in a gurgled voice. Energon seeped through my visor, and I began to cough as the leaking energon entered my punctured vocal processors. I lost my balance and fell over, painfully, onto my side, unable to even move anymore. _My final moments_ I thought to myself, miserably. _Why did it have to end like this?_

Suddenly, without warning, I felt hands grab onto my arm, leg, and body. I could feel myself being lifted up, and carried carefully into a certain direction. The last thing I remember was a feeling of utter numbness, and the sound of a groundbridge opening up. Then everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3: Prisoner

Chapter 3: Prisoner

**"****_You are a failure of a Decepticon_****" **A familiar voice cut through the darkness. I opened my optics, and looked around. I was in an almost pitch-black room, sitting on a metallic chair. A light shone above me, illuminating where I was only, and I could see that my arms and legs were bound to the chair.

**"****Where am I?"** I asked out loud. **"Who in the Allspark just spoke?" "****_It's me, your leader, Starscream_****" **the voice spoke. **"What am I doing here? Where are we?"** I asked, sluggishly. A shape walked calmly out of the darkness toward me. It _was_ Starscream.

**"****What's going on here?"** I once again asked. Starscream merely chuckled in his usual mocking way and continued to walk toward me. **"****_My dear, loyal drone... You are only dreaming of this!_****"** He spoke. **"****_You are in the custody of the Autobots now, don't you remember, you fool?_****"**

**"****I... Remember, my lord."** I said apologetically. I looked and realized my wounds were gone. **"****_This really _****is****_ a dream_****"** I thought to myself. **"****_Yes, and now that you are a prisoner of the Autobots, you will be tortured until you are within an inch of your spark!_****"** He quickly screeched out in an outraged tone. I didn't know what to say. **"****_And when they are done you, they will have drained you of all our secrets!_****"** He spoke again. **"I-I don't think that-"** I was cut off. **"****_Then, when they are done with you, they will throw your still living remains into the trash pile, where they'll be smelted down into scrap!_****"**

**"****I won't tell them anything!" I sputtered out. "I'm loyal! I won't say a thing!" "****_I don't believe you_****"** the dream Starscream smirked as he unsheathed his claws. **"****_But no matter, we will soon find out_****"** he raised his arm above his head as if in a way to strike me. **"****_Now, WAKE UP!_****"** He brought the claw down on me as I winced in fear.

**"****No!"** I gasped as I sat upright. I looked around in confusion and I realized I was sitting strapped onto an examination table in the middle of an empty room, surrounded only by medical supplies, feeling very sore. **"Where in Cybertron...?"** I started, but I suddenly remembered my wounds. I looked at my arm and leg and saw they were replaced with skinny, skeletal, steel-tinted prosthetics, sticking out from the rest of my purple-hued body. I felt queasy for a minute when I remembered my chest, but when I looked, the holes that were originally there were sealed and patched up with metal grafts. I easily unstrapped myself from my constraints and fell to the ground, landing on my feet. My new limbs felt very weird, as if they didn't belong where they were, so my landing was a bit clumsy. I wasn't used to them yet.

I looked across the room, for a doorway to get out through, and I saw it moments later, opposite from where the table I was on was. Before I could even I limp to it I saw it open up.

**"****Scrap"** I muttered under my breath as I stood idly there. There was no place to hide. My blaster arm wouldn't morph, the Autobots doing by the looks of it, so I tore off a large metal bar I saw on a nearby machine and readied myself for what was to come next.

As the door closed again, I could see that two bots had entered, the first I immediately recognized as the traitor, Knock Out, the other had a red-and-white paint scheme.

**"****And so I said to Starscream, why not-"** Knock Out cut off the conversation he was having with the other bot when they both saw me standing in front of them, metal bar raised threateningly. **"He's awake"** said the bot standing next to Knock Out. They both had a surprised look on their faces. **"Now, listen. There's no need to be frightened..."** Knock Out began in a calm voice, walking up to me slowly as he spoke.

**"****Stay back, traitor"** I warned, waving my makeshift weapon at him as he approached. **"Just b-because you were once my doctor, doesn't mean you're not my enemy for joining these guys." **I motioned to the bot standing next to him.

**"****Easy there"** the bot said. **"Those prosthetics are very fragile. It'll take a few more orbital cycles for them to get fully grafted into your body."**

I was unfazed by his plea.

**"****Please, listen to us!"** Knock Out demanded. **"If it wasn't for us, you'd be as good as deactivated right now!"**

I lowered my bar after hearing his last sentence. **"Why am I here? I want answers, now!"** I demanded. **"The ones who injured you thought that you didn't deserve to suffer, so they decided to bring you here for treatment."** The bot replied. **"you were in critical state when you arrived, and your spark was just barely clinging on" **he continued. **"It was an absolute miracle you survived the first two orbital cycles you were here."**

**"****Wait, how long was I out for?"** I interrupted abruptly. **"One week"** answered Knock Out. _One week?_ I thought. _That's a whole seven orbital cycles! _

**"****So, if you aren't apparently here to hurt me, then what exactly do you want from me?"** I asked. **"We're, uh... Still thinking on that part"** Knock Out said. **"Until we figure out what to do with you, though, you will have to remain under constant surveillance"** he added. **"I guess that means you're our prisoner."**

I lifted my weapon again as soon as heard him say that. **"Easy now..."** The bot next to him asked steadily **"Knock Out, I think it's best if you go get Arcee and Wheeljack, I think we'll need them."**

Knock Out immediately left the room, door shifting to a close on his exit. It was just me, and the red-and-white bot. We stared for what seemed like minutes, until I decided to beak the silence. **"Why did your bots save my spark? What was going through your processors when you decided to revive and heal me?"** I asked in a curious tone. **"We're not like what you think"** he began. **"We don't wish for the sufferings of others, and the last thing we want to do is extinguish the spark of a fellow cybertronian."**

**"****What's your name?"** I decided to ask him, to break the tension. **"My name is Ratchet. I'm the chief medical officer, and current leader of this outpost. Suffice to say, I cannot tell you where we are located, but I can tell you that should you find out, you wouldn't be able to tell your colleagues with all the jamming frequencies we have."**

**"****Now, may I ask what your name is?"** He asked. I dropped the metal bar I was carrying and sighed, taking a deep breath before I answered. **"My designated "name" is T7-S13, but I'm known just as T-7 around my brethren."**

**"****Wait, THAT'S what they name you all? Serial numbers? Are you serious?"** His surprise almost jumped me. **"What's so bad about it?"** I asked in an angry tone. **"Nothing... It's just that it sounds like your kind are treat each other much differently than how we treat ourselves." **He replied back. **"It's almost like your treated like nothing more than mindless drones."**

**"****That's not true!"** I exclaimed. **"We're the backbone of the Decepticon military and workforce!" **As soon as I finished, I heard the door open. Arcee, Wheeljack, and Knock Out entered the room.

**"****Let's just forget this, "Ratchet""** I mumbled to him as the three bots walked toward me.** "Well, it looks like you were one of the few Cons to fight me and live to tell the tale"** Wheeljack smirked. **"No hard feelings about the dismantling me and Cee did to you"** he quipped, eyeing my prosthetics. They couldn't see my expressions behind my visor, but it was one of sheer annoyance.

**"****I suppose you two are the ones who injured me, right?" I asked. "Yeah, sorry about that"** Arcee apologized. **"But that's war. We had no choice."** **"I know, I know..."** I muttered.

**"****Just think of yourself as lucky that we acted on our better conscience when we saw you"** She said again. **"Something your fellow Decepticons don't have."**

I glanced at her for a few seconds before I spoke again. **"So, what happens to me now?"**

**"****Now... You should power down and get some more rest"** Ratchet said. **"Your body's going to need some more time to get accustomed to your new limbs and grafts."**

**"****I... Understand"** I said. **"You want me to lay back down on the table?" "I don't think that'll be necessary"** he replied. **"Since your strong enough to move around now, you should power down in the quarters we put up for you in the prison area."**

**"****Fine"** I replied in an awkward tone. **"We'll have these two lead you there"** Ratchet said again, looking at two bots in the doorway. **"Put these cuffs on, and follow us"** Arcee commanded. I complied.


	4. Chapter 4: Nicknames

Chapter 4: Nicknames

We walked down the hallway for what seemed like forever. Eventually, we reached our destination. **"...And these are your quarters, Con."** Wheeljack said as he unlocked my cuffs. I walked into the medium sized room calmly as Arcee activated the force field that closed me off to them. **"Good night"** Wheeljack snickered as he walked off. **"If there's anything you need, just press that red button on the wall there"** Arcee pointed to before leaving. It was located on the opposite side of the control panel to the forcefield.

I sighed and sat down on the nearby bunk, contemplating my fate, looking at my new prosthetics, and feeling sore. I moved my new arm and leg around to see how well they were adjusting, but I soon got bored of it and lied on my back and powered down.

I woke up an unknown amount of time later by the sound of someone knocking on something. I groggily got up and looked around for where the noise was coming from, and found my optics turning to the forcefield. On the other side of it stood a small figure. My optics soon adjusted and what I saw was a small, female human with a pink streak in her hair, throwing some ball against the wall and catching it. **"What in Primus do you want insect?"** I asked in an irritated tone. She immediately gasped, stopped throwing the ball, and turned toward me, a look of excitement on her face. It almost startled me. **"Do the Autobots know that there's vermin running around?"** I quipped.

**"****I've been waiting for you to wake up!"** She shouted in glee. **"There are so many questions I wanted to ask someone like you!" **

I scratched my head in confusion. **"Someone like me?"** I asked. **"Yeah! I've never spoken up close to a Vehicon, or Decepticon for that matter, who I can talk to, and I've been dying to ask one of you guys a few questions!" **She continued.

"**Now wait, slow down, human. I can't disclose any secret information, and either way, you're already starting to pull on my fuel lines."** I piped.

"**Oh, don't worry!"** She exclaimed. **"I just want to ask about the personal stuff. Ya'know, like how are you born? What's it like to live together as Decepticons? Who are your best friends?"**

**"****First off, me and my fellow vehicons aren't "born," we're cloned."** I answered. **"Second, I watch my brother's backs, but only the strong survive. Lastly, we don't have time to make "friends." We just consider each other as brothers."** As I finished the last question, I looked back at the girl, and saw her scribbling in a book.

**"****That's weird"** she said as she finished writing. **"You guys are much different than Autobots. Say... What's your name? Mine's Miko. Miko Nakadai"**

I sighed at the familiarity of the question. **"My name is T7-S13, but I'm known as T-7 around my brethren. I-" **

**"****That's a terrible name!"** Miko exclaimed, cutting me off. **"Why are you called that?" "Because that was my designated number when I was created! We have to ****_earn_**** our names!"** I snapped.

**"****Can I give you a name?"** She asked. I didn't know what to say. **"If it'll help you remember what to call me more, then sure, you can give me a ****_nickname_****"** I finally said. "**Ooh, okay, I've got to think on this, hmm..."** she trailed off. _Does this human ever stop talking? Are all humans like this? Oh, my aching processor!_ I thought.

Suddenly, I heard her gasp. **"I've got it! How about I call you... "Tailslide!""** She said with an excited expression glued to her face. **"Hmm... Not bad kid"** I said, surprised. **"Not bad at all."**

**"****Say, I have another question, "Tailslide""** Miko began. **"What happened to your arm and leg?" **I was taken aback by this one. **"Do you know who Wheeljack is?"** I asked. **"Yeah, of course I do." **she answered. **"Wait... Did he-?" "Yes... Yes he did" **I said in a hushed voice.

**"****Wow. Awkward..."** She said after my remark.**"Well... I gotta go now. I guess it was nice talking to you, Tailslide"** She said as she hastily packed her bag up. **"I'll see you later!"**

She waved her hand at me as she ran off down the hall. **"Uh... Bye?"** I tried to say, but she couldn't hear me from where she was. **"Well, that was weird"** I mumbled to myself as I headed back to the bunk. _This just keeps getting weirder and weirder_ I thought as I started to power down again.

**"****Rise and shine"** A voice broke through my slumber. I awoke immediately and looked in the direction of the voice. It was Arcee. **"Sorry to wake you, but I need to take you to Ratchet and Knock Out for an update on your condition, and they need to give you some energon for your health"** she said again.

**"****Very well"** I muttered, half awake. **"Let's not keep them waiting." **She deactivated the forcefield, placed the handcuffs on me again, and we headed down.

**"****I heard that somebody visited you last night, "Tailslide""** Arcee snickered as we walked down the hall. My head shot up as she said that name, and I looked at her for a long while. **"Y-you know about that?"** I managed to finally stammer in surprise. **"Everybody knows it, now"** she continued. **"Miko has quite the imagination, eh?"**

**"****For a human, maybe"** I sneered back. **"Hey, humans aren't as obsolete as you Cons might be lead to believe"** she said back to me. **"And that's just one of many things you and your kind are blind to"** she continued as we kept walking, our metal feet clinking on the ground every time we stepped.

I remained silent the rest of the walk to Ratchet and Knock Out's office. When we arrived, we entered through the door, and before they noticed us, I could see each of them each working on their own projects. I saw Ratchet looking through a microscope of some sort in the far corner of the room, and Knock Out, on the other hand, was buffing his finish whilst looking at some blueprints of what appeared to be designs for my prosthetics. **"Same old Knock Out"** I almost chuckled as I saw him. He must have heard me, because he turned his head in our direction and looked at us. **"Oh Ratchet..."** He hummed. **"Our patient is here."**

Ratchet immediately looked up at us from his work. **"Ah, yes"** he started. **"Thank you for bringing him here, Arcee. You may leave until we call you again."**

Arcee shrugged and unlocked my cuffs before walking out the door, leaving me at the front of both the bot's attention. **"Well, what do you want me to do?" **I began before either of them could ask. **"Well, for a start, you could sit down on on this table here, and Knock Out here could examine how well your new limbs and grafts are coming along" **Ratchet said as he looked back down into his microscope.

I drudgingly walked up to the table and did as he asked while Knock Out placed his buffer on a nearby counter. He picked up some sort of device, went up to me with it, and a blue light shot out from it as he scanned me with it. **"So what's it like living with the Autobots, traitor?"** I asked in a casual tone. He stopped scanning and looked up at me with a look of annoyance.

**"****Well for starters, my paint job hasn't been scraped, scratched, or ruined in over six months"** he said as he focused back to scanning. **"It's a record."**

**"****Good for you"** I muttered sarcastically under my breath. **"Oh, I have another question I wanted to ask"** I said after he finished scanning my new leg. **"Why can't my arm -my GOOD arm- transform anymore? Did you guys take my T-cog out or something?"** I asked. **"Well, when we were repairing your chest, we saw your T-cog had gotten damaged from the blaster fire it took" **replied Ratchet, still focused under his microscope. **"We had no choice but to remove it"** Knock Out continued. **"We placed it on the table over there" **he pointed.** "In case you wanted to see it."**

I looked over and saw my T-cog, or what was left of it, in a jar. Half of it was missing, burnt or broken off by the shot it took. I was shocked.

**"****Your arm, leg, and chest are in good condition"** Knock Out said as he stood up and walked to a nearby counter. **"Now, we just need to get some energon into you" **he motioned as he brought me a bowl of glowing liquid energon to me. The mouthpart on my visor opened up, revealing my mouth, as I drank from the bowl.

As soon as I finished, I placed the bowl next to me. Before any further orders could be given, I heard the door open behind me. Ratchet, Knock Out, and I looked and saw Arcee run through it, a look of shock on her face.

**"****Ratchet"** she started, a hint of seriousness in her tone. **"We just got reports that a mass of dark energon has been detected just outside earth's atmosphere."**


	5. Chapter 5: Entertainment

Chapter 5: Entertainment

Ratchet gasped as he heard the news. **"Wha-what?"** He stuttered. **"We detected it on a large ship that we just discovered coming in through earth's ****atmosphere"** Arcee continued. **"Ratchet... This ship matches the description of the mining ship that went missing near one of Cybertron's moons last month."**

As soon as she finished, Ratchet glanced at me. **"Do you know anything about this?"** He asked me, a sense of urgency in his voice. I shook my head. **"I wasn't told of any plan like this before I was captured! Honest!"** I revealed. He rubbed his face with his servo as he took in a deep breath. As he did so, a look of fear came upon Knock Out, and he ran up to Arcee. **"Do you have the energon readings?!"** He almost shrieked at her. **"Y-yes I do"** Arcee said as she handed him a data pad. **"Why the panic, Knock Out? Do you know something about this?"** she asked.

**"It's only a hunch"** he began as he flipped through the data. **"But back when I was working with the Decepticons a year or so back, I remember I ****_may_**** have experimented with Breakdown's body while Cylas was in control of it"** he continued. **"I implemented dark energon, mixed with my synthetic energon formula, and the result turned Breakdown's body into some sort of dark energon-based... "Zombie.""**

A look of shock went across Arcee's face as he said the last word. **"A terrorcon?"** She asked. **"No... Much worse than that"** Knock out continued. **"What he turned into was an abomination that wanted to devour the energon of whatever it came across. He managed to infect many crewmembers, and by the looks of where we found his body, he ended up freeing the captive Airachnid we had in stasis lock in search of more energon to feast on."**

**"****Then what happened?"** Arcee asked. **"Then... After Airachnid got free and scrapped Cylas, she took control of the remaining Insecticons onboard the ship in an attempt to take it over. She and her Insecticons were soon teleported away by Soundwave with the space bridge." **Knock Out answered, still flipping through the data pad.

**"****To where?"** Ratchet asked

**"****To one of Cybertron's moons" **Knock Out replied.

**"****What are you trying to say?"** Ratchet demanded. **"What I'm trying to say..."** Knock Out continued **"...Is that it is possible Airachnid was infected by Cylas before she was teleported away, and turned her Insecticons into creatures just like her."**

**"****That would explain the dark energon signatures"** I said in a nervous manner.** "Aha!" Knock Out exclaimed. "These signatures DO match the ones that Cylas had!"**

**"****Then it is as I feared"** Ratchet said. **"Arcee, tell the others of the situation we're in and get ready to head out. Knock Out, bring "Tailslide" here to his cell" **he continued, calling me by my nickname. _This is going to become a regular thing, isn't it?_ I thought miserably.

**"****I'll contact Cybertron and ask for some reinforcements"** Ratchet said again. **"We must be ready for this..."**

As he was talking, I noticed a small, electric drill-like device on one of the shelves next to me on my left. Then an idea went through my head.

**"****Alright everyone, dismissed!"** Ratchet concluded. As he finished his last sentence, I snatched the drill with my prosthetic arm and hid it underneath my armor. Nobody noticed. **"Alright, let's go, you"** Knock Out said as he put my cuffs on me again. All I could do was smile underneath my visor as I complied, and he lead me away, back to my cell.

As we walked, we passed a room I didn't notice before. In it stood what looked like a groundbridge in the background, and in the foreground I could see Arcee talking to what looked like Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and some yellow bot that I quickly recognized as Bumblebee, the one we thought had killed Megatron almost a year previously. I also noticed three humans standing by them. One was tall, another was small, and the third one I recognized as Miko from the night before. She quickly noticed me and made a waving motion, but I continued on, ignoring her.

We soon reached my cell. **"Now don't worry about anything, Tailslide, we have this situation under control"** Knock Out stated as he uncuffed me and put me in my cell. **"If you have any problems, you know what to do"** he said one last time before he activated the forcefield and left.

As soon as he was out of hearing distance, I pulled the drill out from under my armor and laughed smugly. _I can use this to break out of this cage!_ I thought happily to myself. _Then, I can activate their groundbridge and teleport back to the Decepticon ship!_ The plan was perfect. All I had to do was wait until most of them left to invade the terrorcon ship, and I would be free! And I knew_ just_ how to find out when they leave...

**"****Have you bots left to go destroy some terrorcons yet?" **I asked into the intercom **"Tailslide, this is the third time in the last five mega-cycles. We haven't left yet!"** I heard Knock Out yell on the other line. **"Why are so insistent on asking?"**

**"****Oh, no reason... It might be because I'm bored out of my processor being LOCKED INSIDE OF THIS CAGE!"** I yelled back.

**"****Is that Tailslide again?"** I heard Ratchet ask in the background. **"Yes it is"** Knock Out replied back. **"He says he's bored."**

**"****Well then, by all means, let's send him some... ****_entertainment_****"** I heard Ratchet say in a slightly strange tone. They hung up the intercom and I went back, sat on my bunk, and sighed. I sat there and waited for five cycles before I heard the pattering of feet outside my cell.

I turned and tried to look out of the cell, but whatever it was was too far from the corners for me to see. **"Who's there?"** I boomed out loud. **"It's me, Miko!"** I heard a familiar voice say in response. I looked down and saw her approaching my cell.

**"****Oh no..."** I muttered under my breath as she continued walking. **"Did Ratchet send you here?"** I asked. **"Yep"** she answered. **"He said he wanted me to show you some earth culture."**

**"****Oh, here we go..."** I started. **"No, no, nothing like that!"** Miko exclaimed.** "I have some things I bet you'll love!" "Like what?"** I asked back. **"Like... A movie!"** she exclaimed as she pulled a thin rectangular box out of her backpack. It had a picture on it showing a human holding a sword. **"What in Primus is a movie?"** I asked. **"A movie is basically when people act out, or draw scenes that unfold into a story, and they catch it on camera. It's really cool!"**

I was unimpressed. **"I've seen hundreds of video recordings. How could ****_this_**** be something new to me?"** I asked her. **"Well, Tailslide, why don't you watch it and find out"** she proposed. **"Fine, since I've got nothing better to do, sure. Why not"** I answered.

She pulled out a device that looked like a miniature computer, and plugged it into the nearby wall. **"This movie's called King ****_Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_****" **Miko said as she put the disk into the device. "It came out just last year, and it was awesome when I saw it!"

So we both watched the movie. I had to crouch down and lay on my chest to watch it. It was... Enjoyable, for the most part. The way they spoke sounded a bit weird, though. I heard so many "doths" and "nays" and "zounds," it sounded unlike what I hear the normal humans say. **"Why do they sound like that?"** I asked. **"Why is there so many words I don't recognize other humans or Cybertronians say?"**

**"****That's because they're trying to act out the time period"** Miko said. **"This movie takes place hundreds of years ago, and tries to be realistic and accurate."** A battle scene happened soon after. **"Are they actually killing each other?"** I asked curiously as a limb leaking red liquid went flying on-screen. **"Of course not!"** She said. **"They use make-up, fake dummies, and computer animation for those scenes."** **"I've never seen anything like this"** I said in an excited tone.

The movie soon ended after only a mega-cycle or two. **"So, how'd you like it?" **Miko asked.** "It was... Good"** I replied. **"I have to admit, it was unlike anything I've ever seen before"** **"Haha!"** She cheered at my response. **"I have got to show you more movies sometime."**

She packed her things up and got ready to leave again. **"I'll try to see you tomorrow!"** she said as she ran off. This time I waved back.


	6. Chapter 6: Escape

Chapter 6: Escape

It had been almost fifteen mega-cycles since I had watched that "movie." For the first time since then, I decided to radio in to Knock Out to see how their plan was going. **"Hey, you bots there?"** I asked into the mic. **"It's just me, Tailslide"** I heard Knock Out's voice on the other line. **"Where are the others?" **I asked politely. **"Them?"** He started. **"They left to invade the terrorcon ship less than a mega-cycle ago"** he said. **"They haven't reported back yet, but I doubt anything bad happened to them yet. I told them how to deal with the terrorcons, but anything's possible."**

**"****Ah, okay, just tell me when they get back, Knock Out"** I said as I hung up. _Yes! My plan can finally be set into motion!_ I thought anxiously, clasping my two servos together with glee. I pulled my drill out and set its device to the on mode. As soon as I found the right button, a crackling blue light appeared at the tip of the drill. I kneeled down and tested it out on the part of the wall that had the wires that connected the intercom to the control panel that activated the forcefield.

It ate through the wall like a scraplet with a piece of metal. After only a few cycles of drilling, I almost reached the wiring.** "Yes!"** I exclaimed. **"Just... A bit... Further..."**

Suddenly, I heard a loud gasp from behind me. My spark almost went out in the moment of sheer terror that followed. I turned my head ever so slowly in the direction of the noise... and I saw Miko, a blank stare of surprise on her face. **"Scrap"** I cursed under my breath.

**"****Miko... I, Uh... T-this isn't what it looks like!"** I desperately sputtered out. She didn't buy it. I saw her immediately dropped her bag and she bolted toward the opposite direction. **"Son of a glitching scrap heap!"** I screamed as I instantly turned back and started drilling again.

Less than two cycles later, I reached the wiring and ripped them out with zeal, electricity crackling in my hand as I held the chords. Once the forcefield dissipated, I made a beeline in the direction of the room that had the groundbridge I saw earlier I couldn't run as fast as I used to, though, my prosthetic leg only let me limp-run. _Scrap! She saw me! They know I'm out! I'm finished!_ I kept thinking in my head as I noisily and clumsily ran down the hallway.

I finally reached my destination after what seemed like forever. I peeked my head around the corner and scanned for the groundbridge, and I saw it, but a moment of dread seized me when I saw that Knock Out was there, too, looking quite unhappy.

I stopped moving and realized my hopes had been dashed for good. _No... No, no! This isn't fair! I was so fragging close! _I screamed in my mind. Then I thought _Well, I made a gamble and lost it... Don't give up hope yet, I can still do this..._

I swallowed my fear at my last thought and jumped around the corner, startling Knock Out by the looks of it. **"Oh, no, your not going anywhere!"** Knock Out exclaimed, regaining his posture. **"Yes I am!"** I defiantly yelled back. **"You're not going to keep me here and process-wipe me into joining your little group!"**

**"****Process-wipe? Where in Primus did you get THAT idea?"** He said. **"We've done nothing but treat you with the utmost respect! We saved your spark for crying out loud!" "Who says I wanted it!"** I snapped. **"You weren't cloned and raised your whole short life only for combat under the Decepticons!"**

**"****Yes, but I know what they do! What they were like! What they wanted!"** He snapped back. **"Sure, you've only been here for two orbital cycles, but from what I've heard and seen, you've appeared to be enjoying Autobot and human culture alike!"**

**"****Is that true?"** I heard a voice behind me. I turned immediately and saw Miko peering at me from behind a large box. As soon as I saw her, an idea went through my mind.

**"****W-wait! Miko! Get back!"** Knock Out shouted at her. It was too late. I turned quickly and grabbed her in my good servo, lifting her from the ground. I turned back to Knock Out and saw that his hands had morphed into two saw blades.

**"****Put her down, now!"** Knock Out threatened as his blades started to spin. **"No"** I replied smugly. **"Open the portal to the Decepticon ship, now!"** I commanded. **"I-I don't know where its location is!"** He said.** "What are its coordinates?"**

**"****I... I don't know"** I revealed. **"Heh, well that's certainly bad luck!"** Miko said in my servo as she squirmed **"Be quiet, you!"** I shouted back at her. **"Grrr... Just open the portal to the area where I was taken prisoner in!"** I commanded again. **"F-fine! Just don't do anything to Miko!" **Knock Out pleaded.** "Bulkhead will offline me for sure if anything were to happen to her!"** **"Then go faster"** I replied coldly.

Knock Out's saws morphed back into his hands and he turned toward the computer that must have operated the groundbridge while Miko tried desperately to break open my hand. After a cycle of watching Knock Out press buttons, I saw the groundbridge light up and activate.

**"****I'm not very good with ****groundbridge**** controls, but I think I've gotten the right place. Will you give the girl back now?"** Knock Out pleaded. **"****Here"** I said whilst placing the squirming Miko carefully on the ground. **"****I have no use for her. Take her."** I turned to the portal and prepared to run through it. I could almost taste freedom. **"****Wait! Don't go!"** Miko's voice cried out behind me.

**"****Why?"** I asked, turning my head from the portal. **"Why shouldn't I go?"** **"D-didn't you at least like earth and Autobot culture a little bit more than Decepticon life?" **She asked again. **"You should really listen to her" **Knock Out said calmly. **"You KNOW you did. You KNOW it's true."**

**"****I have only been online for the equivalent of two earth years. All I've ever known is war"** I said.** "That's not all you have to know!"** Knock Out insisted. **"Take me, for example. Ever since I joined the Autobots I've realized there are so many things to do that are better than fighting, dying, and conquering!"**

**"****I swore an oath to serve the Decepticons to the day my spark is extinguished before I was even created. My fate is not in my servos. It never was. It is in the servos of whomever leads the Decepticons, in this case, Starscream"** I defiantly said.** "I wish that this were not so, but an oath is a promise, and I am no oathbreaker."**

Knock Out sighed and bowed his head as he saw the futility of this argument. Miko did not. **"Tailslide! You've got to listen! Starscream doesn't care about you, or any other Vehicons! To him, you guys are just expendable pawns in his game!"** She shouted.

**"****That may be, but those Decepticons are my brothers, and I can never turn against them... Goodbye, Miko. I truly did enjoy the time we spent together"** I said in a monotonous voice, not giving away an inch of emotion to either of them as I turned back to face the portal.

**"****T-Tailslide! Please don't do this!"** She begged one last time.** "My name... Isn't... Tailslide"** I replied.

Then I ran into the portal.

**Author's note:** So, how you guys liking it? This is as far as I've gotten so far, but you can very well make sure you'll see **Chapter 7: Corrupting Energies** within the next week. This is my first fanfic, and I want to know some of your guys's feedback.

**P.S.** This is NOT, I repeat: NOT a Tailslide x Miko fanfic (where in the name of everything good in this world would you get THAT idea?!). The relationship they'll share will be just like that of Miko and Bulkhead, except maybe to a lesser extant (a.k.a., distant friends). Stay awesome, and prepare for the next one!


	7. Chapter 7: Corrupting Energies

Chapter 7: Corrupting Energies

As I exited the portal, it immediately closed. I instantly noticed that something was very, very wrong. I looked around, and as soon as my optics adjusted to the dark, I saw that I was in a darkened Cybertronian corridor, not a wooded forest. At first I was confused, until I noticed the length of the predicament I was in.

_Knock Out! That traitor! He sent me to that ship infested with those Insecticon Terrorcons! I'll feed him his spark for this!_ I thought. Then I thought something that made me almost short circuit in fear._ I'm not going to survive this, am I?_ I heard go through my processors. _No... Don't panic... I just have to find something I can use..._ I thought again, calming myself down. An escape pod, perhaps?_ Yes! There must be one! _I thought hopefully.

I started down the corridor, my red optics glowing through my visor were bright enough to see their red light illuminate some darkness and light the walls. I could hear the clunking of my footsteps echo throughout, and it made me realize how empty the place really seemed. The thought of that only kept me on guard that much more.

I soon found myself in front of a crossroad in the hallway. One went left, the other went right. Before I could choose the lesser of both poisons, I heard a horrible scream coming from behind me. It sounded like the bellow of an Insecticon back when they were back on the Nemesis, but this sounded much lower in pitch. As I heard it coming closer, I immediately ran to the left hallway and hid behind the corner, hoping that it wouldn't see me. **"Scrap"** I said under my breath nervously as the droning buzz of Insecticon wings grew closer to my position, and soon it was upon me.

I heard the shift of a T-cog, a crash, and an animalistic hiss just behind the corner, and I knew right off that the Insecticon Terrorcon was about to find me. I heard its footsteps come closer and closer, and soon enough I saw the creature itself come out into the open. I was frozen in utter fear as I could see its hulking, hunched, dark body limp into view.

Its head slowly turned my direction, and soon I could its dull, red optics shine from behind its visor. I started to shudder when I saw its already messed up mouth spit into four, separate, many-fanged mandibles, while a long, snakelike appendage burst from the center of the creature's mouth and started to wriggle around and snap through the air as if it had a mind of its own.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the creature's optics met my own in a horrifying way. My spark nearly went out in terror as I heard the Insecticon/Terrorcon growl as it saw me. I shut my optics off as I prepared for the worst.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of blaster fire, and a shout. I looked again, and I saw the creature turn around and suddenly run in the opposite direction, dodging behind the opposing hallway. **"What in the Allspark?"** I yelled in confusion as another shout and blaster shot went through the air. _Who's that?!_ I wondered instantly, as I worked up some courage, picked myself off the ground and ran in the same direction the Insecticon charged off into, running down a long hallway in the process. Soon I saw lights accompanying the blaster fire from around a turn in the hallway, and shadows illuminated from the lights, showing two large figures apparently in melee with one another.

I had no weapons, but I got closer anyway. Less than a nano-klik after made it around the turn, I heard an Insecticon scream, and a large, smoking body fell in front of me. I flinched as I jumped out of the way, and when I got up and looked at it again, I saw it was an Insecticon, a large hole now burnt through its chest.

I peeked around the corner, and saw an Autobot wearing some sort of large, white, protective suit, and holding a gun of some sort. I couldn't see any defining features, aside from the fact that this Autobot was slightly smaller than me, but then its face came into view behind the see-through visor on the front of its helmet. I immediately recognized who it was.

**"****Arcee?" **I sputtered, half amazed. She instantly looked up at me, shocked and panting and aimed her hand-held blaster rifle at me in alarm. **"W-what the?! Who's there?"** She demanded. I came out from behind the corner with my arms raised. **"It's me! Don't shoot!"** I insisted in a panicked tone. She aimed her rifle at me for a few more seconds, then lowered it. **"Tailslide? What in Primus are you doing here?!"** she shouted, half angry, half surprised.

**"****I, uh... Escaped..."** I said awkwardly. **"How did you do that? Or, more importantly, WHY did you come here? Do you have a deathwish or something?"** She scoffed at me.

**"****It's a long story..."** I began. **"Ugh... Never mind" **She sighed. **"Do you want to survive?"** She asked me. I nodded my head. **"Are you willing to cooperate?" **She asked again. **"Yes"** I answered back. **"Then take this"** She motioned as she threw me her blaster rifle. I grabbed it as it flew at me.

**"****Follow me"** she said as she unstrapped another blaster rifle from he back and turned around. **"Alright"** I said as I walked in her direction.

**"****Oh, by the way, if you even think about using that on me, know that Ratchet made these suits to be highly durable to most forms of punishment, unlike your body"** She said, threateningly. **"Listen, I'm not going to do that. That's the last thing I'd do in this situation"** I replied sincerely.

**"****Just watch my back, and I'll watch yours"** she said again.** "And DON'T let those things bite you."**

**"G****ot it"** I said as we moved out.

We walked in watchful silence as we entered and traversed multiple corridors. The only thing we came across was a severed, half chewed arm.** "It belonged to a crewman" **Arcee said as we saw it. **"If we find Airachnid in this place, by the Allspark, I'm going to make sure that she never does this to anyone ever again" **she vowed as I looked on down the hall. **"So... Where exactly are we heading to?"** I asked her.

**"****We've been going through the ship in small groups, clearing it out, and we're planning on meeting near the center of the ship next"** Arcee replied. **"I'm the only one that went alone, lucky for you."**

We came across a large door several cycles later. Arcee activated it, and it opened with an eerie creaking noise, revealing a large, dark, room. It was almost pitch black, but the flashlights on Arcee's suit cut through the darkness, revealing nothing but emptiness, and another door on the other side of the room. **"This way"** Arcee commanded. As we walked through it, by the time we got to the center of the room, a strange feeling of danger pulsed through my body.

**"****Eh... Arcee?"** I started. **"I sense it too"** She replied. We pointed our rifles in random directions as we looked for whatever our instincts were telling us to be wary of. Suddenly, a dripping noise sounded on the ground next to Arcee and I, and we turned to look at it. It was stale energon.

We found ourselves looking up slowly, and once Arcee's flashlight illuminated the top of the ceiling, we saw, in horror, three Insecticons clinging onto it. **"Incoming!"** Arcee cried out as the Insecticons realized we noticed them. One instantly jumped down, and with a loud crash, landed on the ground in front of us.

**"****Energon!"** It screeched out as its mandibles opened up, revealing its hideous pincer-tongue appendage. We gave it no time to react as we riddled it with blaster shots, putting the undead creature out of its misery. Before its body could even fall to the ground, another Insecticon/Terrorcon jumped down, onto Arcee, pinning her to the ground with a clanging thud. The creature drooled stale energon onto the suit as Arcee grunted under the strain the creature was putting on her.

I aimed at the Insecticon with the intent of shooting it off Arcee, but suddenly a clanging noise sounded behind me, and I found myself dropping my gun as the third Insecticon wrapped me up in a bear hug. **"S-scrap!"** I gasped out as the creature squeezed me further. **"Hungry..."** It muttered as its pincer-tongue waved menacingly in the air next me.

I only was able to look at the one on top of Arcee, trying to crack open her suit as I felt a sharp pain enter my neck.** "Gah!"** I gasped out in pain as I felt the creature pierce me with its foul appendage, sucking the energon from my fuel lines, replacing it with its own corrupting energies.

I struggled to stay online only nano-kliks after it punctured my body. I tried to wriggle my arms out of the creature's grip but nothing was working. I felt my very energy leave my body and I started to feel tired. It was as if the end was near. So very near...


	8. Chapter 8: Infected

Chapter 8: Infected

I continued to struggle under the Insecticon/Terrorcon's grasp. Just when I was about to give up, my smaller, prosthetic arm managed to wriggle free of the creature's large grip! I wasted no time in punching the creature's face in order to get it off me, but it stubbornly refused to let go. I thought quickly and desperately as my servo bounced off the monster's face with metal thunks, until I saw _exactly_ what I needed to do.

I immediately grabbed hold of the beast's tongue appendage, and with much effort, I yanked it out of my neck. The Insecticon roared in protest of what I did, and the tongue continued to shake around in my hand, its miniature jaws snapping throughout the air. I pulled on it, and the Insecticon angrily let go of me.

I continued to hold on to the tongue, and pulled harder. The monster shrieked in pain as I yanked at it. It tried to claw at me, but I dodged its attacks. **"Just try and suck my fluids now, you miserable scrap heap!"** I roared back at it as I placed my foot on its face. With another strong pull, I finally, and forcefully ripped the appendage completely out of the beast's mouth, falling onto the floor from the recoil. The Insecticon screeched as it too fell backwards onto the floor.

I got up quickly and threw the limp thing onto the floor in disgust as I picked up my rifle and carefully aimed it at the Insecticon on top of Arcee. I fired at the monster's spark chamber, and it had time only to shriek as it fell off of Arcee, dead.

I proceeded to turn back to the creature I was previously fighting. It was attempting to get up, pawing at its mouth feebly which was now heavily leaking energon and dark energon alike from the hole where its tongue previously went. I pointed the rifle at it, and as soon as the creature's optics met mine, it roared in anger. Before it could charge, I pulled the trigger on the rifle, and unloaded several shots into the Insecticon.

**"****And stay deactivated"** I muttered to the creature as it went limp and fell onto its side. I turned back to check out Arcee, and I could see her sitting up. Her armor was covered in scratches and dents, and her visor was partially cracked, but the Insecticon had not broken through it.

**"****A-are y-you okay?**" I asked weakly. **"Y-yeah"** she replied with a relieved smile. **"Thanks for saving my spark."** **"No p-problem"** I said again.

suddenly, her face went from relief, to utter shock. **"Tailslide! You've been bitten!" **she cried out, pointing to the hole in my neck. I put my servo on it to feel it, and I noticed that energon was leaking out of it. **"Wha-what do I do?"** I nervously stammered. **"We've got to bring you back to the base"** she stated in a serious tone. **"Maybe Knock Out and Ratchet can make up a cure" "Do y-you think they c-could?"** I asked her. **"It's your only hope"** she said again.

I saw her press a button on her suit, presumably the intercom, and she spoke into it. **"Ratchet, this is Arcee. What's your status?" "Me and Bulkhead are fine. How are you holding up? have you been bitten?" **Ratchet replied on the other end. **"I'm fine"** Arcee began. **"But I have somebody here who has been"** she finished, looking at me.

**"****Wait, you found a survivor?"** Ratchet asked. **"No" **Arcee replied. **"It's Tailslide."**

**"****Wait... WHAT?!"** Ratchet boomed. **"How in Cybertron did HE get here? I know I got a report from Knock Out stating that he just escaped, but he told me that he thought he sent him to-"**

**"****Ratchet, we don't have time for this!" **Arcee cut Ratchet off.** "We need a groundbridge, now!"**

**"****Fine..."** Ratchet sighed. **"I'll send Knock Out your coordinates. Once the groundbridge opens, get him to sick bay at once!"** He said. **"Tell Knock out to strap him down the tightest he can, in case the infection gets to him."**

The groundbridge opened moments later, and Arcee and I ran through it as fast as we could. When we got to the other side, the fatigue I was experiencing was almost unbearable. I bent down and stood on one knee, panting and wheezing heavily. It felt as though I just ran several miles!

I looked around, and saw that I was in the familiar room where the groundbridge was located. The first thing I noticed was the large red shape of Knock Out looking down on me with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face.

**"****Well, I can see why you bridged in"** He began. **"Good job catching our little escapee!"**

**"****That's not why we came here"** I heard Arcee say. I turned and saw her taking her suit off as she spoke. **"Can't you see? He's been bitten by one of those infected Insecticons!"**

As soon as she said that, Knock Out's face changed to a look of surprise when he shifted his focus to me again. He slowly backed away, nervously. **"H-he's infected?!"** He asked.** "Yes"** Arcee responded. **"And we need to get him to sick bay immediately."**

**"****Are you serious?! I don't know how to operate on someone with something like this! Nobody does!" **Knock Out exclaimed with much worry in his voice. "We have no choice!" Arcee said. **"You're the one with the most experience regarding these things, and you're his only hope!"** She shouted, pointing to me.

For some reason, I started to feel really hungry. **"G-guys..."** I started. **"This may be a bit out of context, but is there any energon I can eat right now? I think I'm getting a little hungry."**

They both stared at me for a good few seconds. _What in the Allspark did I say that for?_ I thought. **"I... I don't know why I just said that"** I insisted. **"Wha-what's happening to me?"**

**"****His condition is accelerating!"** Knock Out shouted. **"We need to get him to sick bay, now!"**

**"****Can you walk?"** Arcee asked me as she grabbed my good arm and lifted me up. **"I... Don't think so..."** I managed to say in an exhausted tone. Knock Out ran to my other side and grabbed onto my other arm, and I could feel my limp legs drag behind me as they carried me. **"Where's... Bulkhead... When you need him?"** Arcee said under the strain of my weight.

I constantly blacked out, and woke up, just on the way to the lab. Everything was in flashes to me. My hunger pangs worsened. I couldn't bear it anymore!

The next time I woke, I was lying on a table of some sort. **"Energon..."** I cried out weakly. **"Energon..." **I blacked out again. My body felt weirder every time it happened now, like something inside me was morphing... Almost like it was adapting to whatever I was feeling.

I woke up again. I was still on the table. The two that brought me here were looking over me. **"Energon!"** I yelled. **"I need energon!"** I tried to move around, but I felt that every part of my body was strapped in, and tight.

They appeared to be talking, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. Everything but my voice was silent. They were keeping the energon away from me! They didn't want me to have it!_ I'll take it myself then! _I thought. I roared out as I tried to break the shackles keeping me down.

**"****Energon!"** I yelled again with much rage in my voice. I felt something utterly alien happen to my mouth. Then something popped out of it... and snapped at them! The world started to look different. everything was red, then blue, then red again.

Then I saw Knock Out bring over a large syringe with a blue liquid substance in it's barrel. Or was it green? Was it energon?

Suddenly, I felt a push in my rapidly moving shoulder, and it took me a second to realize that Knock Out stabbed the needle in my arm. It was strange because I didn't feel anything when it happened. Then I felt tired again. **"Energon... I... Need it..."** I started to say as everything went slow and I started to power down.

**"****Energon..."**

**Author's notes: **Oh, ho, ho! This is delicious! What has become of our hero? Will he struggle through this infection? Will he succumb and join the ranks of the undead? The suspense is _killer!_ Only YOU can find out, next time, on **Chapter 9: Sparkdead**


	9. Chapter 9: Sparkdead

Chapter 9: Sparkdead

I dreamed. Or, at least I think I dreamed. I saw familiar faces... Arcee, Starscream, Wheeljack, Knock Out, Ratchet... They were all there, staring at me.

**"What's going on?"** I asked. They didn't reply. They still stood there, silent as stone. I started to walk around when I realized I was standing up, but there was no exit I could leave out of. I realized I was alone once again. lost in the waves of blackness.

Then I started to remember the fragments of what happened to me back before I was here. I was lying down, strapped to a table, shouting like a wild beast for energon. I saw my mouth split into mandibles and a mouthed, tongue-like appendage burst out of it like those wretched Insecticons had. The scene shifted into fog as I walked away from it. _That wasn't me... _I started to think. _That couldn't have been me..._

As I continued to walk through the black nothingness, I saw more views from the past. I saw me saving Arcee from the Insecticon/Terrorcon, I saw Miko introducing me to movies, I saw Wheeljack, Arcee, and Bulkhead carrying my limp body off the battlefield...

_What is this? What in Cybertron is happening to me? Why am I being shown these?_ Hundreds of thoughts went through my head as I wandered about aimlessly in this endless limbo.

Suddenly, I heard a voice. **_"I... I'm sorry to tell you all this. Tailslide is... Gone"_** It was Ratchet's voice. What does he mean "gone?" I wondered. Then a dreadful thought hit me. Am I deactivated? Am I one with the Allspark? No... It can't be. This is a Hell compared to what it means to be one with the Allspark.

**"I have to wake up"** I told myself **"I have to wake up!"** I tried to wake myself. I ran around, I hit myself with my servos, I jumped, I yelled. Nothing worked.

**"Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!" **

I woke up.

Everything was pitch-black. _Am I still trapped?_ I thought. I quickly realized that a cloth sheet of some sort was covering me from head to foot. I moved both my arms and I felt that there was nothing holding them down anymore. I pulled the large, white sheet off me and looked around.

A huge wave of _déjà vu_ went through my mind as I saw that I was sitting on top of an examination table in the middle of Ratchet and Knock Out's lab. Something seemed different about my vision when I looked around. Everything almost looked black-and-white as I stared. I could still discern the different colors, red, steel, orange, purple... But the things that stood out the most were bright blue objects that were in multiple corners of the room.

As I got up to investigate, I also noticed that when I stepped on the ground, I almost didn't _feel_ anything as well. It was almost like being numb, in a way. I shrugged the feeling off as I continued walking toward the nearest blue object. I looked into a jar, I saw a small, blue, glowing rock inside of it. I opened the jar and dumped the rock into my hand. It was and energon crystal.

I immediately realized that this wasn't right. _Can I detect energon now?_ I wondered to myself as I put the crystal back. _What is happening to me?_

I went out the door of the lab and continued on down the hallway. I was pondering why I woke up alone when I heard the noise of footsteps coming from up ahead of me. I stood against the side of the wall, unsure of what to do next.

Who I saw come into view I quickly recognized as Ratchet. His head was bowed low, servo massaging the back of his neck as if it was under some form of soreness or stress. When I saw him, I instantly saw a ring, or halo, of blue light surrounding his body. He stopped and lifted his head when he got seven meters from me, mumbling something under his breath as he did so.

At first he didn't notice me, but when his optics focused on me, he gasped, and his face apparently went blank with shock. It quickly turned to terror and he slowly started to back up. **"I-impossible..."** He stuttered as he backed up, but tripped and fell onto his back with a shout. He dragged himself up to his feet again in lightening speed, and he ran down the hall, looking over his shoulder at me one last time as he ran.

I was confused. **"What was that all about?"** I asked myself. I decided to walk down the hall he ran down to investigate.

I soon heard voices up ahead, some panicked in tone, but I continued on, undaunted. I came into the room that had the groundbridge, and I saw Ratchet, Arcee, Knock Out, and Bulkhead were there. All talking together.

**"Are you telling us the truth and not some joke you're planning?"** Bulkhead asked. **"Bulkhead, you know I don't tell jokes"** Ratchet replied. **"But I saw him! He was standing in front of me, right there, clear as day! I'll go show you right now if you'll at least follow me!"** **"I'll follow"** Arcee said in a calm tone.

**"What are you guys talking about?"** I asked in a normal tone. They all turned and faced me in unison. **"Wha-What in Cybertron..."** Knock Out sputtered as he saw me. **"By Primus"** Arcee gasped. Bulkhead and Ratchet just stood with their mouths and eyes fully open in utter shock.

**"What?"** I asked again as I shrugged my shoulders.

**"How are you alive?" **Knock Out asked nervously. **"What do you mean?"** I replied. **"Tailsli- I mean T-7... You've been dead... For five orbital cycles" **Ratchet said.

I was taken aback. **"Dead?" I asked. "What do you mean "dead?""**

They were all silent until Bulkhead decided to speak. **"When me Ratchet and Bumblebee were on that Insecticon ship, Knock Out was here was trying to save you. He said your spark went out while he was operating. Ratchet even confirmed it when we got back two mega-cycles later."**

**"Then... Then how am I here?"** I asked, a tone of worry in my voice. I started to back up. **"How?!"** I shouted as I slammed my fists against the wall, leaving two good-sized dents in it.

**"I... I don't know..."** Ratchet said. I slid down the wall and curled into a fetal position. I felt sick.

Arcee approached me and laid her servo on my shoulder. **"It's okay"** she whispered **"We'll find out what's wrong. It's probably just a glitch in the tech."**

I pushed her servo away from me with my shoulder. **"Get away..."** I said in a hushed voice. **"You need to remain calm" **she said as got close to me again. **"You can't just keep pushing away help like this."**

As she attempted to lay her servo on me again to calm me, I could feel my jaw change shape, and, in a state of utter mania, I hissed at her.

Arcee gasped in surprise. I soon saw why. My mouth had shifted into a set of four mandibles, not unlike what the Insecticons/Terrorcons had, and a long, fanged, tongue-like appendage jumped from my mouth, as if to attack her.

I pushed her away and crawled to the other side of the wall as my mouth morphed back. Bulkhead activated his blaster and pointed it at me in reaction.

**"What in the Allspark was THAT?"** He yelled at me. **"I... I don't know!"** I yelled back. **"What is going on?!"** I whimpered as I crawled back into fetal position. Arcee got up, shaken by what happened, Bulkhead kept his blaster aimed at me, and Ratchet, at first shocked, bent down and began to scan me with a wrist-mounted device.

**Author's notes:** Gasping green bushes! This story's so juicy, you could just mistake the thing for a pork roast! I spent three, if not four hours in a row working on this, and I really want you guys's professional opinion on this… This… MAGNUM OPUS of mine. Coming soon to a fanfic sight near you… **Chapter 10: Monster**


	10. Chapter 10: Monster

Chapter 10: Monster

I sat on top of a metal box, servos held together, head hanging low, as I waited for Ratchet and Knock Out to finish their discerning of what happened earlier. I still felt disturbed by the events that had transpired, and I only thought worse of it as I saw Arcee walk past me on her way to the lab. **"Arcee... I'm so sorry"** I said, lifting my head up as she passed me.

She stopped and looked at me. **"You don't have to apologize anymore, T-7. You're not at fault for what happened"** she said quietly and calmly. It was the fourth time I had apologized to her in the last two mega-cycles since our horrific encounter.

I continued to sit there, monitored by Bulkhead, while I waited for the results to come back. _Why is this happening to me? Why me?_ I thought. A few cycles later, Ratchet and Knock Out finally appeared in front of me.

**"****So... What do you have?"** I asked glumly. **"Well..." **Ratchet started.** "When Knock Out was trying to save you from the infection, he saw no other choice than to pump pure energon into your body, in an effort to flush out the dark energon. It was almost fully successful in in that, but by the time he finished, your life readings went out, and we presumed you were terminated" **he said.

**"****What we failed to realize..." **Knock Out continued, **"...Is that the disease had altered and mutated your body before it fully ran its course. And, while shutting down your spark, had also changed your body to work almost fully independently from it."**

**"****In other words, if he had not gotten that dark energon out of you, it would have instantly corrupted your body and turned you into nothing more than a semi-mindless creature with only one drive: To feed"** Ratchet finished.

**"****So what you're saying is that I'm... Undead?" **I asked nervously. **"I guess you could say that, yes"** Ratchet said. **"Upon further investigation, we discovered that there is still just a minuscule amount of dark energon remaining in your deceased spark, and it is the only thing keeping you active. If it leaves, you will go offline for good, but if you add any more to the spark, directly, you will become too corrupted to control yourself."**

I shuddered as he said that. **"There IS dark energon in me?"** I asked. **"Yes" **Knock Out replied. I bowed my head again and clasped my face with my left servo. Out of curiosity, I asked them a question. **"So, what are my "mutations," exactly?"**

**"****Well..."** Ratchet started, **"First off, that jaw and "tongue" of yours is one. You need that tongue to drink energon, seeing how your mouth wont work properly anymore. We also found that your detection of energon better than most senses."**

**"****That explains why you guys look like you're glowing blue"** I said.

**"We found that because your spark isn't truly alive anymore, your pain receptors have practically been deactivated, except for the ones within that new... Tongue of yours" **He continued.

I looked up again as he said that. **"Does that mean that if one of you guys were to ever shoot me with a blaster, I wouldn't feel how painful it is, no matter how big the hole was?"**

They both nodded. **"I... I guess there are some perks with being..."** I started **"...A monster."**

**"****You're not a monster"** Ratchet stated. **"But there is still one more thing we need to mention to you. Lastly, we found that because dark energon remains in your spark, you may go into states of blind rage, extreme hunger, or just plain madness during times of stress or excitement."**

I looked down again as he said that. **"That must have been what happened with me and Arcee"** I said in a quiet voice, thinking about the event that happened previously, and the misunderstood terror that followed it. **"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself" **Bulkhead said behind me.** "Easy for you to say"** I said back. **"You're not an undead abomination."**

As Ratchet and Knock Out began to head back to their lab, a disturbing thought began to circulate through my head.

_The Decepticons will never accept me back now_

As I kept reminding myself of this fact, I heard the sound of a car engine echo far away, from out of the tunnel. **"Oh, scrap!"** I heard Bulkhead say. "**I forgot to tell you, the kids got picked up by Bumblebee from school, and they don't know you're alive!"** He shouted, turning to me.

**"****Miko wouldn't stop crying when she heard you were terminated" **he said again. **"Just wait till she sees you!"**

**"****Oh Primus"** I sighed as he said this.** "I don't... I don't think I can do this..."**

**"****Of course you can!"** Bulkhead said again. **"It's the least you owe her for taking her hostage"**

I beamed at Bulkhead. **"You know about that?" "Yeah"** he replied. **"Knock Out told me everything."**

I gulped when he said that.** "Please don't kill me..." **I pleaded. **"Hey, don't worry about it. You didn't hurt her, you gave her back, AND you already died, remember?"** He said in a somewhat friendly manor.

**"****Oh! I have an idea!"** He yelled. He suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and lifted me up. **"What the-?!"** I yelled in surprise. He stuffed me behind the wall next to him. **"What was that for you big lummox?!"** I practically screamed at him when he placed me down. **"Just play along"** he whispered.** "I want to use you to surprise Miko! You at least owe ME that"**

I grumbled in protest, but sat there anyway. Soon, I heard the sound of a car engine get close enough to be within a few meters of me. I got to peek my head around the corner just before Bulkhead pushed it back. I saw a yellow-and-black muscle car, Bumblebee by the looks of it, and two humans opened the doors on him and stepped out, just before I heard a T-cog shift coming from Bumblebee.

The one I noticed immediately was Miko. The other I couldn't really see, considering Bulkhead's meddling. **"Get ready"** Bulkhead whispered from the corner of his jaw, nodding his head down to me. I didn't know how to get ready. _Some planner he is_ I thought, amusingly.

**"****Hey, Miko"** Bulkhead suddenly started. **"How was your day today?"**

**"****Okay... I guess"** I could hear Miko's voice responded, albeit, with much gloom in it. **"I... Uh... Got a surprise for you!"** Bulkhead said, trying to make things sound less awkward._ At least he didn't say "present"_ I thought again.

Suddenly, I felt a hand wrap around arm, and I was yanked off the floor with extreme speed. **"Look who I found!"** Bulkhead practically yelled as he squeezed my shoulder against his, as if in some parody of what two friends might do.

I got a clear look at Miko's face when she saw me. After she looked at me, she gasped and looked like she tried to stutter my name. But for some reason, however, her skin turned pale, if not almost white in color, and she took just two steps backwards before falling over onto her back, with a thud, and didn't move.

The second, shorter human gasped and ran over to her side while Bumblebee bent over her. Me and Bulkhead just stared in confusion.

**"****Is she dead?" **I asked. **"I know human's lifespans are short and all..."**

Bulkhead slowly turned his head to look at me, optics narrowing with suspicion. **"Just what kinds of messed up things did those Cons teach you about humans anyway?"** He asked before letting go of me and walking up to help his friend out. I just shrugged, brushed myself off, and watched the show unfold.


	11. Chapter 11: A Change of Spark

Chapter 11: A Change of Spark

**"****You're back! I just can't believe you're back!"** Miko said for almost the hundredth time since she awoke from unconsciousness just a few cycles ago. Her, Bulkhead and I were just leaving Ratchet's med lab after she had checked in with the doctor for her unconsciousness.** "So, how did you come back to life?" **She suddenly asked me. _Oh boy... How in Cybertron do I explain this?_ I asked myself.

**"****Uh... Miko? Have you ever heard of what an... Er... "Zombie" is?"** I asked her as we walked down the hall. **"Of course I do! They're the dead, come back to haunt people and eat their braaaiins!"** She shouted, making a strange face reminiscent of that of something scary, I guess.

**"****Well, Ratchet and Knock Out said I had pretty much become an... Undead creature, just like that"** I finally managed to say, pinching my face with my servo while saying the last part.

**"****Hah!"** Miko laughed.** "That's funny! I know Ratchet's good at saving bots when they're just inches from death, but that's just sounds like a bit of an exaggeration..." **

Bulkhead and I quickly shot her a glance of seriousness. She looked at us and her face went from smiling and happy, to strait and unexpressive. **"Wait... So you're telling me that you're actually a zombie?!"** She shouted again. **"You don't really ****_look_**** like a zombie."**

**"****That's because you haven't seen what I can do with my mouth yet"** I said, chuckling a little. **"What do you mean?"** She asked curiously.

I turned to her. **"Watch my mouth"** I asked. As she watched, my mouth slowly shifted into the four mandibles it was earlier, and finally my tongue slithered out as well.

I could hear her gasp in awe, and I thought of a funny idea. As she looked, I hissed and made a pouncing gesture. She jumped back in surprise.

**"****Hahaha! Oh that look on your face was hilarious!"** I said as my mouth morphed back. **"That's not funny!" **She shouted back as she straitened herself out.** "I thought it was a ****_little_**** funny"** Bulkhead said, also a bit shaken by the stunt I pulled.

**"****That's a really weird ability, Tailsl- I mean T-7" **she said. **"It's okay" **I said politely. **"You can call me "Tailslide" again. I don't think the Decepticons would want me back after what happened to me anyway."**

Suddenly, we saw Arcee appear from behind the corner. **"Hey Bulk"** she started. **"You ready to bridge back to the Insecticon ship?"** She asked.

**"****Oh... Uh, yeah"** he replied. **"I was just saying hi to Miko before we left" **he said, turning his head down to his human friend.

**"****Okay, just make sure that you have your suit on and you're ready to go within the next five minutes"** she said again before heading the opposite direction.

**"****What's a minute?"** I asked.** "Oh, that's what humans call a cycle here" **Bulkhead replied. **"Say..."** He began again.** "Do you think YOU would want to storm the ship with us again?" **He asked, curiously. **"I heard that you saved Arcee's spark from an Insecticon during your little "escape" incident, and I bet that your new ablilities could be a ton of help."**

**"****Wait... You mean that you guys didn't destroy that thing when you were last on it?"** I asked. **"No" **Bulkhead responded. **"After Arcee had to bridge back here to save you, me, Ratchet, Bee, and Wheeljack had to bridge back after a short time, too. Luckily for us, Cybertronian ships came to back us up, and are currently keeping watch on the ship."**

**"****Oh"** I said. **"Well, if it means I can get some revenge for what those... ****_fiends_****, did to me, then I'm all for it"** I said, wrapping my servo into a fist.

**"****Oh, yeah!" **Miko said cheerfully.** "Bulkhead and Tailslide, on the hunt!"**

Bulkhead cheered too. I just stood there, confused as usual.

As we prepared to head out, I asked Ratchet about an update on what we needed to do. **"We just need to clear out all rooms that we weren't able to before"** he said. **"We need to look for any survivors. Any Airachnid may have been keeping alive for..."** He shuddered as he said the next part. **"..."Farming" purposes. After that, we should storm the command center. It's where Airachnid most likely holed herself up in**"

I picked out a blaster rifle and stood next to the suited up Bulkhead. **"Mine's bigger"** he quipped when he showed me his blaster, nearly twice the size of my own. **"That's gonna do some damage"** I said humorously when I saw the size of the barrel.

**"****All right everyone. Are we ready to go?" **Ratchet asked. We all nodded. I was partnered with Bulkhead, Ratchet was with Wheeljack, and Arcee was with Bumblebee.

**"****You can activate the groundbridge, Rafael"** Ratchet said to the smaller human. He complied and pressed the lever, and a green portal opened up in front of us.

**"****Let's go hunt some bugs"** Wheeljack said.

As we started to run into the portal one by one, I turned one last time and waved my prosthetic servo at Miko and Knock Out before I, too, turned and ran through.

When I came out of the portal, I looked at my surroundings, and the familiar view of a dark room with multiple corridors appeared before my optics. The only thing that seemed different was that I could see better in the darkness than I did before. _That's gonna come in handy_ I thought.

**"****All right everyone. We're all partnered up, so let's split up and roll out!"** Ratchet said as he and Wheeljack headed down the corridor they chose.

The rest of us followed his example and split up. Me and Bulkhead took on our own route as well.

We walked down the corridor, checking each room for Cybertronian life-signals. Suffice to say, we didn't find any. We _did_, however find four different Insecticon/Terrorcons, but we finished them off faster than we saw them. Bulkhead's cannon can sure come in handy when you need to kill something quickly.

After nearly two mega-cycles (or "hours" as Bulkhead and the humans call them), we came across something unusual. As we walked, through the clattering of our footsteps, I heard something very strange. It sounded like... Sobbing, coming from something that sounded... Young.

**"****Bulkhead, do you hear that?"** I whispered to the green goliath. **"Hear what? I can't really hear as well inside this thing"** he motioned to his suit.** "I think I hear a... Child... ****_Crying_****"** I said as I listened for it again. **"In ****_that _****direction"** I pointed down the corridor we were walking on.

**"****We need to get there, now!"** Bulkhead shouted as he started trying to run in his suit. I followed with the same amount of haste. We came to a right turn, and we both stopped dead when we reached it. When we looked up, I saw that that there were three Insecticons just in front of us.

they turned and growled at us, jaws and tongues extending. Me and Bulk wasted no time in terminating the first one that was in front of us. As soon as we shot it, another ran up, but Bulkhead shot it directly in the chest with his blaster, making a good-sized hole in its body as it fell back and died. The last one managed to actually jump onto Bulkhead, and ravenously started to scratch and bite at his armor.

As this was happening, I could hear that the crying was coming from inside a door just next to where the insecticons were standing before they had charged us. **"You get the kid!"** Bulkhead suddenly cried out. **"I'll handle this pest!"**

I immediately complied and ran up to the door's controls. It was locked. I looked back at Bulkhead and saw him pummeling the bolts out of the Insecticon. I turned back to the door's controls, aimed my blaster rifle at it, and fired.

The controls practically blew up as soon as my first shot hit it, and I saw the emergency release activate the door, opening it. I heard the crying very clearly, and I could tell that whoever was making the noise was in there. I then dashed into the blackness of the room, not thinking about anything else except saving this innocent kid trapped inside.

**Author's notes:** Bum, bum, BUUUUMMMM! Seriously though, you're going to be in for a spin when Chapter **12: Letting Go** comes out. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Happy Halloween!


	12. Chapter 12: Letting Go

Chapter 12: Letting go

I ran through the room, looking for where the melancholy sound of crying was coming from, and then something caught my optics I saw a trail of glowing, leaked energon, leading to a handfull of energon cubes in the corner, and then to the back of the room. I followed it.

In the furthest back part of the room, I saw a small mass, curled up, lying in a small puddle of energon, unmoving. I instantly ran over to it, and I could see that it was a small, silver-colored sparkling, not even of age seven (by Cybertronian standards).

Its back was facing me, and I couldn't see its facial features. I did notice, however, that the sound of crying was indeed coming off it.

**"****Hey there, it's okay..." **I whispered to the helpless child as I kneeled down. His body curled up even tighter.** "Don't worry..."** I said again.

As soon as said that, I turned my head and saw another trail of energon leading away from the child. My optics followed it, until I came upon a gruesome sight. In the corner, a dozen-or-so meters away from me, laid against the wall, was the body of a femmebot.

I nearly fell over at the sight. She was yellow in color, most prominently on her forehead, sides, and legs. I could clearly see a deep slash in her stomach area, and old, stale energon covered it, and also ran down her open mouth. Her optics were open, but were grey, dull, and lifeless.

_She must have brought her child here to this energon storage area to wait out until help arrived _I thought. I cringed as I turned back to the young one. It had turned its head to me while I wasn't looking.

Before it flinched back down to its previous position, I could see that its facial features matched that of a male. His eyes were wide, and a deep, blue color. He started to shiver when I placed my servo on his back.

**"****Don't worry... I'm going to get you out of here"** I said to him, calmly. **"Your mom died bravely, getting you here, and I'll make sure her death wasn't in vain."**

As soon as I said that, he began to cry again. _Scrap, I'm not good with words_ I thought.

**"****Please listen. I'm with the Autobots. We're here to rescue you"** I said again, in a much calmer voice. He instantly lifted his head up a I said that.

**"****Y-y-your w-with the Autobots?"** He asked, shivering in a way that he was almost vibrating. **"Yes" **I answered back. **"I have a friend back there who is going to take you to safety"** I motioned to where Bulkhead was.

**"****Do you want me to take you to him?"** I asked. He nodded in reply, and nervously got up from the ground. I took his servo in mine and lead him to the door.

As we approached it, I told him to stay for a minute while I checked if there were any Insecticons anywhere.

As I peeked my head outside, alI saw was pieces of metal everywhere, three, deactivated Insecticon bodies, and one Bulkhead sitting on the ground, tired.

**"****Bulkhead, over here!"** I yelled and waved with my prosthetic arm. He immediately looked up at me. **"Hey..."** He panted. **"Who'd you find?"**

**"****A sparkling"** I replied. I looked back at the child and motioned to him that the coast was clear. He ran up to me and looked out the door. **"Did you see any monsters?"** He asked, cautiously. **"Just dead ones"** I replied.

We walked out the door to Bulkhead. **"Hey there little guy..."** Bulkhead said in a friendly tone. **"I'll get you off this rock, and you won't have to see any of these monsters again, don't you worry"**

Bulkhead pressed the button on his suit that activated his intercom. **"Ratchet! It's me, Bulkhead. We found a survivor!" **

There was no reply.

**"****Ratchet?"** Bulkhead asked again. **"Ratchet!"**

Still no response. **"That's not a good sign"** I said.

**"****I'll contact Knock Out manually, you keep trying to get Ratchet's signal" **Bulkhead said as he gave me a device that connected to a back-up radio from his suit.

**"****Ratchet... Are you, uh... There?" **I asked into the device. Still no response. **"Ratchet, please respond!"** I begged. Silence.

As I was about to ask again, I heard static on the other end, and heavy breathing.

**"****I... I'm here"** Ratchet's voice started to break through.** "Bulkhead! I got Ratchet on the line!"** I shouted excitedly to him as he was talking into his own device. **"Good, I got Knock Out on this one!"** He also said. **"He told me that he's locking onto our coordinates."**

**"****A-ambush..."** Ratchet breathed on his end. **"Airachnid... Ambush... Took... They took..."**

**"****Wow, calm down"** I tried to say as a portal opened behind us. I turned to Bulkhead as he was leading the kid to safety. **"Bulkhead... I think Ratchet's in trouble, Arcee is too."**

He turned to me as I said that. **"We... We need to get Knock Out his coordinates" **he finally said. **"Let's get the kid back to base and teleport to his location"**

**"****Good plan"** I said before joining him through the portal.

We arrived back at Autobot base, Knock Out, Rafael, and Miko were there. **"We found this kid there" **I said to Knock Out. **"Do you think you could bridge us to Ratchet's location?"** Bulkhead asked right after, while the sparkling was being greeted by the kids.

**"****Of course" **he replied. He walked over to the controls and inputted information, just before the groundbridge activated again. **"Tell Wheeljack and Bumblebee to be extra cautious now!"** Bulkhead said just before he ran through it. **"Oh, and leave the bridge open for a few cycles!" **I mentioned just before going through myself.

When we arrived, we saw a dreadful sight. Ratchet was lying there, his suit broken, multiple injuries showing through it.

**"****Ratchet!"** Bulkhead cried as he lifted his friend's head up. **"Are you okay? Were you bit? Where's Arcee?"**

**"****Airachnid... Ambushed us. I... Wasn't bitten. But... But... Arcee... Captured..."** He barely managed to say, coughing blue energon out of his mouth whilst doing so. **"I need to get him to Knock Out"** Bulkhead said to me. **"You... I think you should go after Arcee. You're faster, and my suit is worn as it is, and we can't waste time"** He said again as he started to drag Ratchet's limp body to the portal.

"**What in Primus would Airachnid want with Arcee?"** I asked. **"They have... A history"** Bulkhead replied. **"A bad one."**

**"****They... Took her... To the command center"** Ratchet gasped one more time before lowering his head for good, falling unconscious. **"Where's that?!"** I practically shrieked at Bulkhead.** "If I remember right, back when Ratchet talked about where we'd be going, it's down this hall, then you go left, then right"**

**"****Anything else?"** I asked.** "Take my radio just in case" **he replied, giving me his handheld device. I immediately took off down the hall with it and my rifle, while Bulk took Ratchet through the portal.

_I've got to get there before something bad happens_ I repeatedly thought as I ran down the corridor as fast as I could. I took the turns Bulkhead described, and I soon came across a large door. But... There was a problem. Guarding said door were three large Insecticons, and the largest stood in the middle, instantly noticing me. My optics lit up as I saw them. **"Aw, scrap"** I muttered as the largest one approached me.

Then he spoke, saying something in a very gravely voice.

**"****The Queen has been expecting you."**


	13. Chapter 13: Sadist

Chapter 13: Sadist

I looked at him after he spoke. **"What?"** I finally managed to croak out. **"Our Queen has noticed that you are very much like us, and requests you go in and... "Talk" with her"** it said again.

**"****Uh... Um, okay?"** I said, trying not to sound confused. **"So I can... Head right in?**"

**"****Yes"** it answered.

**"****Alright, then... I'll just be going in, I guess"** I murmured. As I walked past them, two of them got out of the way, but I was then stopped by the largest one again.

**"****She requests that your weapon remain..." **It stopped talking as its head started to twitch and spasm. **"...Remain here" **it finally said, pointing to my blaster rifle. **"Fine"** I obliged, and I dropped the weapon to the ground.

The door opened right after, and I walked in. I could hear my feet clanking on the ground from the echo of the spacious room I was now in, and it was indeed a large room, but there was a platform in the center where stairs lead up to. Purple light illuminated the entire area.

As I walked I heard a painful scream echo throughout the empty space. It was Arcee! I started running again, up the stairs to the platform, and I saw something that made me almost cry out in anger.

The first thing I noticed was that Arcee was there, a few dozen meters from me, surrounded by computers and tech. Her head hung low, and she was hanging helplessly from the ceiling by chains wrapped around her arms, and her legs were almost touching the ground, but remained suspended in the air. Her entire body was covered in scratches, gashes, and dents from the torture she was enduring.

Behind her stood the cause of this entire mess. Airachnid, whom I could tell from her rather sleek, spider-esque appearance. I also noticed she was holding a metal pole of some sort in her servos.

**"****Come in, come in!"** She beckoned in a neighborly manner, as if attempting to hide her evil nature.** "I've been trying to warm up Arcee here for your arrival, but I don't think she's too willing to be a part of this..." **She hissed as she pressed the rod against Arcee's body. Electricity coursed out of it, and Arcee cried out in anguish.

**"****Stop it!"** I yelled in pure anger. **"She doesn't deserve this!"**

**"****Oh, on the contrary!"** Airachnid yelled back. **"We've been enemies for centuries, and I swore I'd be the one to end her spark, one day. And I'm not going to let up so easily..."**

She shocked Arcee again, getting another pain-filled scream from her mangled body. As soon as she did that, I felt something in me snap. My jaws opened up and my tongue-like appendage went lolling around in the air as I let out an animalistic roar.

**"****That's what I want to see!"** Airachnid yelled out, smile forming on her face as I charged at her. When I was almost on her, she let go of her electric baton and jumped over me with ease, making my body trip and fall down, face-first, onto the platform.

As I got up, Airachnid latched onto my back and wrapped her arms and servos around my body.

**"****Mmm... I've been waiting for somebody like you to come by..."** She cooed into my sound processor as her tongue-appendage slipped out of her maw and licked me.

I tried to shake her off me in disgust, but she held on tightly. She finally let go and jumped away from me, laughing insanely, posture changing into a twisted shape while doing so.

**"****T-Tail... S-s-slide..."** Arcee moaned in pain behind me. My attention instantly focused on her, and I reached out to untie the chains around her arms. As soon as I had them off, however, Airachnid returned, traveling on her spider legs, and kicked me in the face, forcing me to drop Arcee onto the ground.

As I looked back up, I grunted uncomfortably when my entire left optic went completely dark as I felt something push into it. One nano-klik later, I realized that Airachnid had impaled it with the tip of one of her spider-legs.

Thankful for my immunity to pain, I immediately grabbed hold of the leg currently lodged in my optic and pulled it, bringing Airachnid toward me. Before she could react, I kicked her in the chest, sending her back again.

She landed gracefully on her legs and shot me a look of annoyance. **"Let me and Arcee go, or I'll destroy you"** I threatened her. I looked back at Arcee, and I could see her struggling to lift herself up.

**"****You call THAT an ultimatum?" **Airachnid mocked. Her bright purple optics closed slightly as she started to laugh madly again.

While she was laughing, I could feel the left side of my face crackling and snapping with electricity as loose wires hung uselessly.

**"****I've heard better threats from rocks!" **She shouted again.** "Here's ****_my_**** ultimatum: Kill Arcee for me, and join my army of chaos where you belong, or ****_I'll_**** be the one doing the deactivating around here!"**

I looked at Airachnid for a long while with my remaining optic, then to Arcee, then back to Airachnid. There was complete silence, save for the crackling of wires and diodes from the wound on my face.

I realized I couldn't win this fight. My wound was proof enough of that. As I made my decision, I slowly walked up to the shock-baton and lifted it up.

**"****I promise to make this as painless as possible"** I said to Arcee, sadness and pity residing in my voice, as I snapped the tip of the baton off, making it into a sharp, makeshift spear.

**"****Y-you... N-n-no, please..."** She begged as I started walking to her. She tried to crawl backwards, but was too weak and stopped. **"I have no choice, Arcee. Please stop moving"** I asked her as I approached.

When I finally got to her, she looked up, pleadingly, and in her blue optics I could see shock and sadness, but no fear or remorse. There was no mercy in mine.

**"****Yes..."** Airachnid whispered seductively into my sound processor as she came up behind me and placed her servos on my shoulders. **"Finish her, and join me..."**

Arcee closed her optics and lowered her head as I started to raise my weapon like a dagger, preparing to make the kill.

**"****Make sure to hit one of her vital areas... Have as much energon bleed out ****as possible..."** She whispered again. **"I plan to"** I whispered back.

My weapon was raised over my head. Time to die.

**"****Arcee"** I said in a calm voice. She looked up again. **"Thank you, for everything"** I said happily. **"Ever since you and your friends decided to spare me on that battlefield, I've seen what my true destiny is."**

Her face curled into one of anger.

**"****And when you're gone..."** I started **"Please be sure to tell Miko that I'm thankful for what she taught me, and that I'll truly miss her."**

Her face went from anger to confusion at that last comment, then straitened out when she realized what I was saying.

**"****I've waited a long time for this moment" **Airachnid said excitedly, teeth clenching into a twisted smile as her optics squinted with satisfaction.

**"****...A-and y-your going to g-get what you deserve"** Arcee replied. Airachnid's optics opened slightly in a puzzled manner at how she said that, and then it hit her. Both metaphorically, and oh-so very literally.

I brought my weapon down, not on Arcee, but on Airachnid, as I turned and plunged the makeshift weapon into her abdomen. She gasped in surprise, and I wasted no time in taking it back out, and doing it again, and again.

By the time Airachnid had enough sense to push me away, there must have been four holes in her stomach leaking both energon and dark energon. She coughed some up as well, and it soon started to trickle down from her mouth to her chin.

**"****Heh heh heh..."** She began to chuckle as she wiped the liquid from her face. **"I knew you were too softened up by the Autobots to do the right thing..." "And I can't believe you thought I was going to turn against one of my only friends that easily!** I yelled back. **"Arcee, activate the ship's self-destruct sequence!"** I screamed as I attempted to jump on Airachnid. She attempted to dodge, but too many of her vital areas were too injured to move her limbs as fast as she once could.

I tackled her and we started to roll around on the ground. As I tried to stab her more, her spider legs managed to impale multiple parts of my body. I felt nothing.

Out of the corner of my optic, I could see Arcee pulling herself up to one of the computers, and started to input some information just as Airachnid snatched my weapon out of my servo, and broke out of my hold. **"You fool"** she snapped as she sunk the spear into the knee joint of my good leg, and jumping back.** "Do you actually think these Autobots care for an abomination like yourself?" **

**"****Yes I do"** I replied back, limping toward her as fast as I could, my right leg now rendered useless. **"And they have proven this to me by saving me, and showing me that there is more to life than war and death."**

**"****When I'm done with you, death will be the only thing that remains"** Airachnid said as she effortlessly dodged me. As she jumped behind me, I remembered my radio I had on my hip.

**"****Arcee! Take my radio!"** I yelled as I tossed the device to Arcee while she was over the computer. Despite her injuries, she was able to catch it as it flew over her. **"No you don't!" **Airachnid shrieked as she saw. Just as she started running at Arcee, with a roar, I jumped on her and grabbed her leg, forcing her to fall down.

She huffed as she saw Arcee struggling to speak into the radio. **"If you want to bring your friends in, than fine" **she began. **"Insecticons! To me!"** She shouted.

Just after she said that, a portal opened in between us and Arcee. Out of it stepped the familiar forms of Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack.

**"****What did we miss?"** Wheeljack said humorously as Airachnid roared in anger. 

**Author's notes:** Be ready for the next chapter. It will all come crashing down...


	14. Chapter 14: It All Comes Crashing Down

Chapter 14: It All Comes Crashing Down

Bulkhead immediately ran up to Arcee and helped her out while Bumblebee and Wheeljack took out their weapons. "**Surrender, Airachnid"** Bumblebee started. **"You have no hope of winning this fight!"**

**"****Do I?" **The pinned-down Airachnid laughed as the sound of beating Insecticon wings started to fill the area. We all looked around and saw nearly a dozen Insecticon/Terrocons flying into the room, surrounding us and chittering madly.

As we were distracted by them, Airachnid took the time to kick me in the face and escape my grasp. I got up, balancing my legs out, and saw Airachnid trying to sneak over to Wheeljack and Bumblebee. **"Guys! Look out!"** I yelled. They instantly turned their heads to my direction and saw Airachnid approaching, hate gleaming in her purple optics.

They barely had time to react as she, and her Insecticons barreled down and all attacked us at once.

One tackled me and sent me flying across the command platform, crashing near where Bulkhead was guarding Arcee while she was figuring out how to activate. **"So..." **I sputtered. **"How's it going?"**

**"****Arcee said she almost has the code down" **Bulkhead said as he was punching the lights out of two Insecticons at once. **"As soon as she has it, Ratchet and Knock Out will activate the groundbridge again, and we can get out of here."**

As he said that, Airachnid appeared in front of us.** "I now have the advantage, it seems"** she said in a calm voice.** "I hope you've all made your peace with the Allspark, because you'll soon be joining it!"**

**"****Will you just shut up and fight!"** I said as I shuffled to stand up, changing my servos into fists.

**"****Very well" **she said, and charged us on her spider-legs. I tried to intercept her first, jumping in front of Bulkhead, but I was unprepared when two of her spider-legs stabbed me in both my shoulders, pressing me to the ground. As she flew over me, she stopped, mid-air, and drove her legs into my chest, stunning me.

I was gasping while Airachnid was attacking Bulkhead. When I came to my senses, I sat up and looked behind me, and I saw Bulkhead lying on the floor, moaning. I looked further back and saw Airachnid walking up to Arcee.

I got up and slowly started to shuffle my broken body toward them while she grabbed Arcee. **"It's too late, A-Airachnid" **Arcee stuttered to her nemesis. **"I've already set the self-destruct for one cycle. You'll never get off this ship alive."**

Airachnid merely smirked as she said that. **"I don't care if I do or don't. I just want the satisfaction of making you go offline first, and my life will be complete"** Airachnid hissed, jaw splitting like mine into four mandibles as she got ready to terminate her old foe.. What she failed to realized is that I was sneaking up behind her.

As she lifted her servo up to strike her wounded foe in the spark, I wrapped my ams around her waist, catching her off-guard, and making her drop Arcee.

I held firm as she tried to escape, clawing and smashing at my arms, but I did not let go. **"Get off me you idiot!"** She shrieked. I still didn't let go.

Arcee limped to the radio and picked it up. **"Activate the bridge now!"** she yelled into it. No sooner had she said that, the green portal opened in front of her and Bulkhead, who was regaining consciousness.

**"****Wha... What happened?"** He asked. **"No time to explain, we need to get out of here, now"** Arcee replied, weakly.

Wheeljack and Bumblebee, still fighting the Insecticons, turned to the sound of the portal opening. **"And that's our cue"** Wheeljack said as they stopped fighting and started to run to it.

As I saw Bumblebee help Arcee through the portal and Wheeljack helped up Bulkhead. As they both kept back the Insecticons, I heaved and threw Airachnid behind me as I saw my own chance to escape. Before I could get far, I felt something go through my throat and vocal processor.

I looked down and saw the tip of one of Airachnid's legs protruding out of it. I couldn't even gasp in surprise as I realized what was happening. I soon felt myself kneeling to the ground as I started to choke, and Airachnid ran past me, intent on making it through the portal herself. Anger went through my mind.

I tried to shout a warning to the two guarding the portal, but all that came out of my mouth was gurgled static. My vocal processor was broken.

**"****Twenty nano-kliks to self destruct" **an announcement went off. Bulkhead, knowing I didn't go through, looked in my direction and saw Airachnid heading towards him. He aimed his blaster and fired, but she easily dodged. Wheeljack was able to turn and see her too, and before Airachnid could tackle him, he had already parried her attack with his swords.

He then kicked her, sending her back to near where I was. **"Come on, Tailslide! This way!"** Bulkhead yelled to me. I looked at Bulkhead, then Airachnid, mind searing with blazing hatred for all the things I saw her do.

My rage made the choice for me.

Before Airachnid could make a second chance to bolt to the portal, I grabbed the base of her leg. She spun around in bewilderment at me as I started to drag her toward me. **"Let go of me!"** She cried in a mix of fear and anger as her spider-legs impaled me in multiple areas. My chest, stomach, and shoulder were injured multiple times, but I did not yield.

As soon as she was within range, I wrapped my fingers around her throat and lifted her up on hate-fueled strength.

**"****Tailslide!" **I could hear one of the two in the back yell. I didn't know which one said it, my anger had overtaken me.

**"****Five nano-kliks to self destruct"** the announcer said. I looked over to Bulkhead and Wheeljack and saw them with expressions of fear and confusion on their faces as they were looking at me. I nodded to them.

They knew I wasn't going with them. I saw Wheeljack begin to run through the portal while Bulkhead stood there for a second, a look of sadness on his face, before he too went through, and the portal closed just moments after.

I looked back at Airachnid. She had stopped trying to impale me as soon as the portal closed. **"You fool..." **She muttered. Before she could say anything else, I had thrown my good servo into her chest. She gasped and fresh energon flew out of her mouth as I grabbed her spark in my servo, pulled it out.

She still had a look of surprise on her face as I threw her lifeless body to the ground. _For Arcee..._ I thought as I looked at the spark in my now energon-stained servo. It was purple in color. I promptly threw the ball away in disgust as I prepared for my fate to come.

**"****Self destruct imminent" **the announcer said for the fourth time in the last twenty nano-kliks. What a delay. All the Insecticons, free of their Queen's control, had left the room in an attempt to flee the ship.

I stood there, alone, thinking of my friends that were now back at the base, now safe, because of me.

I closed my optic. The last thing I thought of before a ball of flame enveloped me was their faces. Staring at me, smiling. I almost shed a tear.

Then darkness overtook me.

**Author's notes: **Epilogue, coming soon! Give me your feedback so far, if you can please!


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

Minutes after the ship activated its self destruct sequence, It exploded in a ball of fire and flame. Pieces of it, both extremely small ones, and exceptionally large ones, went flying through earth's atmosphere. Most pieces were burnt up instantly, but many survived, only to fall into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

One such piece that survived was partially humanoid in shape. It appeared as an upper torso, only limb remaining being a right arm, and the entire body was badly charred, blackened by re-entry.

It landed in the water with a tremendous splash, like the other surviving pieces, and began to sink before the water had even settled. As it sank, the water washed the charred blackness off the body, revealing a scratched, partially burnt, purple-hued paint job underneath.

Bits of wiring hung off the bottom, apparently severed half of the body, and its face was very skeleton-like, as if its true face was burnt off in the explosion, or re-entry. Only one optic remained intact in its head, and half of the head in general looked like it was missing.

A few seconds after entering the water, Its optic briefly flickered on, revealing a red light/eye color. All it saw was the shadow of a large craft of some sort, flying overhead, just above the water.

_What... Happened?_ It thought to itself.

A large claw suddenly went through the water, wrapping around his mangled body. _Who are... They?_ It thought again. Then, just as briefly it was awake, the robot's neck lowered, and it knew only darkness once more.

**Author's notes:** I hope you all enjoyed! The sequel will be coming extremely soon, so be prepared! And let's just say that the main character of the next story is going to be such a juggernaut, Bulkhead's going to have a run for his money!


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